Random walk in a random multiplicative environment

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Journal of Statistical Physics; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01044445· OSTI ID:6039299

Ben-Avraham, D ^[1]; Redner, S; Cheng, Z ^[2]

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1. Boston Univ., MA (USA) Clarkson Univ., Potsdam, NY (USA)
2. Boston Univ., MA (USA)

The authors investigate the dynamics of a random walk in a random multiplicative medium. This results in a random, but correlated, multiplicative process for the spatial distribution of random walkers. The authors show how the details of these correlations determine the asymptotic properties of the walk, i.e., the central limit theorem does not apply to these multiplicative processes. They also study a periodic source-trap medium in which a unit cell contains one source, followed by L {minus} 1 traps. They calculate the asymptotic behavior of the number of particles, and determine the conditions for which there is growth or decay in this average number. Finally, they discuss the asymptotic behavior of a random walk in the presence of randomly distributed, partially-absorbing traps. For this case, a temporal regime of purely exponential decay of the density can occur, before the asymptotic stretched exponential decay, exp({minus}at{sup 1/3}), sets in.

• OSTI ID: 6039299
• Journal Information: Journal of Statistical Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Statistical Physics; (USA) Vol. 56:3-4; ISSN 0022-4715; ISSN JSTPB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

656002* -- Condensed Matter Physics-- General Techniques in Condensed Matter-- (1987-)
657002 -- Theoretical & Mathematical Physics-- Classical & Quantum Mechanics
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL LATTICES
CRYSTAL MODELS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DENSITY
DIAGRAMS
DIPOLES
DISTRIBUTION
EIGENVALUES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
MOBILITY
MULTIPOLES
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PARTICLE MOBILITY
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RANDOMNESS
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
STATISTICAL MECHANICS
TRANSPORT THEORY
TRAPS